"Whether photography is your bread and butter, or something that you’ve started out doing casually with machinations of eventually picking up a few paid gigs, you’ll want to acquaint yourself with a sexy little document we lawyers like to call, the Client Service Agreement (or CSA, for short).

"CSAs are, as their name suggests, agreements that you, as a photographer, make with anyone who wants to pay you for your photography. Again, we’re not just talking to the professionals here. We’re also talking to those of you with your entry-level DSLRs shooting your friends’ weddings or head-shots on the occasional weekend. Food, selfies, and your niece’s birthday party might be the only things in front of your lens at the moment, but as your skills improve, so will recognition for your photography. It might not be long before folks start offering you money here and there for your work. When that moment comes, you want to be prepared to accept the gigs offered to you, while presenting yourself as a professional, and covering your rump in case things go wrong. How do you do that? You guessed it – with a CSA. It is a huge legal mistake photographers make not having a formal agreement or contract."